Winter Bells
by kokoro62
Summary: Two worlds are at odds with each other. Two people will bring them together, but not without hardships, betrayals and the growing threat of a group of people trying to get rid of the other. Co-authored with ShadowRebirth37
1. Fateful Encounter

_**Disclaimer1:**__ I do NOT own Zoids._

_**Disclaimer 2:**__ The character Celia Teara belongs to me. Please do not use her without my permission!_

_**Author's Note:**_ Hello Everyone! Welcome to ShadowRebirth37 and mine's newest fanfic _Winter Bells_. This is definitely something new for the both of us, so we'll apologize now if some things seemed rush or are a bit confusing. We hope that all of you enjoy this new story!

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**ξ **Fateful Encounter **ξ**

It was snowing badly in the area that Raven was in. He was a few mountain ranges over from Mount Isolina, searching for something that a lot of people had looked for before. He had managed to find some shelter in a thick grove of trees that was a little over a fourth of the way up the mountain. They kept most of the wind and snow out, but it was still cold due to the blizzard that had suddenly been stirred up. He had heard stories about the volatile and unpredictable weather in this area, but he hadn't thought that it'd be this bad. He had been following some rumors of there being a vampire village up in these mountains, but he had yet to find any trace of vampires. As he was settling down to go to sleep did his 'hunter' instincts suddenly kick in. Raven glanced around and drew his silver dagger, not wanting a vampire to sneak up on him. He got to his feet and continued to search for the source, not wanting to be attacked.

In the distance and just barely above the sound of the howling, Raven could hear the sound of crunching snow as someone walked through the grove he was using as shelter. The strides were slow and rough, as if whoever was walking was either hurt of nearly frozen. Raven narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to see through the blowing snow. He 'thought' his 'hunter' instincts might have just overreacted and that it was just a lost person, and not a vampire. "...someone out there?" he called out a bit hesitantly.

The crunching snow stopped when Raven called out. He thought he heard someone calling back to him, but before he could call out again, he definitely heard someone fall to the ground. Raven immediately went towards where he heard the person fall. "Hello? Answer me if you can!"

Raven didn't get an answer though. Eventually he came to a smaller clearing within the grove of evergreens and saw a cloaked figure on the ground. Whoever it was wasn't moving... Raven blinked when he saw that, and immediately crouched down next to the figure. "Hello? Can you hear me?" he asked, reaching out and carefully shaking the person's shoulder.

The person didn't respond to Raven, but the cloak's hood fell off to reveal the person's face. And Raven was surprise to see that it was a female. Raven blinked when he saw that. He wasn't entirely sure what to do now. "...uhh... miss? Miss, wake up..." he said, shaking her shoulder lightly again.

Raven got a response this time. The young woman's eyes fluttered open slightly and looked at Raven. Her gaze was slightly unfocused, likely because she was almost frozen. Raven panicked slightly when he saw that. "Uhh... just hold on, alright?" he said, helping the woman into a sitting position. "Are you hurt anywhere?" The woman shook her head 'no' slightly. She wasn't hurt, just really cold...and hungry...

"Can you walk? I have a campsite nearby..." Raven offered, knowing she'd likely freeze to death if he left her.

The woman nodded again, letting Raven help her stand back up. She was around 5'6'' so she was much shorter than Raven was. She allowed him to lead her back to his camp site, knowing that if she didn't take the help then she wouldn't make it through the night. Raven helped her over to the fire, so she could get warm. "...do you like tea? I was brewing some to warm up..." he offered, pouring himself a cup from the pot that was warming over the fire.

The female nodded slightly and her hood fell down when she did that. Raven could see her shimmering sage green eyes a lot more closely now. Her dark violet hair was tied with a white bow at the base of her neck, but Raven could tell that it was longer than it looked. Raven grabbed a second cup and filled it up with hot tea, offering it to her. "Here, its lemon tea. It should help warm you up and keep you from getting sick."

"...thank you..." the young woman said quietly. Her voice was just barely there, probably from the fact that she had been out in the cold for so long. Raven nodded slightly but didn't say anything, too busy drinking his tea. He was shivering slightly, but thanks to his thick cloak and insolated piloting uniform he was kept pretty warm.

The girl that he had brought back to his camp site didn't seem to be shivering as badly any more. Her cloak looked like it was made out of tanned hides and insulated with dark grey furs. But, with the wind blowing like it was, even that wouldn't hold up against it. Raven noticed that. He went over into his tent and pulled out his blanket off of Shadow, who growled unhappily, before offering it to the woman. "Here... this should help keep you warm..."

The girl looked up when Raven offered her a blanket. She took it from him hesitantly before wrapping it around herself. "...again...thanks... But won't you get cold...?"

Raven shook his head. "I'll be fine..." he assured, taking another sip of his hot tea to keep himself warm.

The girl took a sip of her tea as well, it warming her up instantly. She looked up to the boy that had rescued her. She grew curious, since hardly any one came up this way. "May I ask...just why you're so far north?"

"... just looking around..." Raven eventually said, before taking another drink. It wasn't a total lie, just not the whole truth.

"...out in a blizzard...?" the girl asked incredulously.

"Well... I didn't realize there was a blizzard until I was in it..." Raven muttered, "... otherwise I wouldn't have come out here..."

"...oh... ...so...what were you looking around for? There anything in particular?" Raven shook his head, too busy drinking his tea to properly answer. He was cold, but not as cold as he had been early.

The girl nodded slightly. There was still something...unusual about this boy... But she just couldn't place it... "...Care to tell me your name?"

"It's Raven," the ebony-haired teen replied, glancing over at the woman briefly before going back to drinking his tea.

"Raven...?" she repeated. It wasn't a usual human name but she wasn't one to talk. Raven nodded, not reacting to her slightly-confused tone. He was used to it after hearing it a lot over the years.

"I think that it's a nice name," she replied, smiling slightly.

Raven blinked when he heard that, and couldn't stop himself from blushing slightly. "...uhh... t-thanks?"

The girl giggled at him slightly when she saw him blush. "I'm Celia, Celia Teara," she said, knowing that the raven-haired boy would ask for her name.

Raven just blushed more when she started giggling at him. "... uh... o-okay..." he answered, looking away so she wouldn't see him still blushing. Celia giggled at him a little harder, seeing him blushing harder. She hadn't meant to make him blush, but he was, and she thought it was cute that he was shyly trying to hide it. Raven looked away again and pulled up his hood, trying to 'hide'. A few minutes later Shadow poked her head out of the tent and growled, sensing Raven was stressed. Celia didn't notice Shadow, still giggling lightly at Raven. He was just too cute! He wasn't like the boys back home, who were, for lack of a better word, always hounding her.

Raven crossed his arms over his legs, which were pulled up against his chest, before he hid his face in them. This was just what he needed, to have a girl laughing at him every other moment. Shadow growled again and slipped out of the tent, plodding over and nosing Raven's head, nipping at the hood slightly to try and pull it off so he could see his face, despite Raven's protests about it.

Celia stopped giggling when she saw Shadow. She had never seen such a creature before... "...Raven...? ...What's that black creature that trying to get your hood off?"

"...she's an Organoid..." Raven answered without lifting his head, still trying to bat Shadow's muzzle away as she kept trying to get at his face under his head.

"...What's the matter Raven? Are you upset with me?"

Raven shook his head no, but stopped stopping Shadow's attempts to look at him. She finally flipped his hood off and leaned down, pressing her muzzle against his cheek, nearly making him jump straight up in the air. "Damn it Shadow don't do that! You're freezing cold!" he yelped, putting his hand on his cheek where the Organoid's cold metal muzzle had touched him. Celia just watched on, not saying anything. She wasn't too sure just what to make of this...

Shadow sniffed his face and licked his cheek before eventually flopping down next to him, satisfied nothing was wrong with him. Raven wiped the Organoid spit off his face before looking over at Celia, blinking when he saw her expression. "...what?"

Celia shook her head slightly. "It's nothing. I've just...never seen an...Organoid...before."

"Don't worry about it; most people haven't..." Raven answered, reaching out and patting his Organoid's snout. Celia nodded slightly, just watching their interactions. It was interesting to her, having never really interacted with the world outside her village.

Raven cocked his head slightly when he caught her expression. "...something wrong?"

"No. I'm just watching is all," she replied.

Raven nodded. "... alright then..." he said, before he looked back down at his Organoid, continuing to pet her.

Celia remained quiet after that, sipping her tea and trying to keep warm. She had been caught out in the blizzard by surprise. She knew that as soon as it subsided some of the villagers would be out looking for her. Raven eventually looked back out at the woman. "Why on Zi were you wandering around in this weather, anyway?"

"Oh...I was caught out in this blizzard while looking for some medical flowers. They're called Winter Bells, and they only bloom in the winter months. They make a very potent healing salve."

Raven blinked. "... I think I saw some while I was hiking up here. Small little white flowers, right?"

Celia nodded. "I know where they grow and was heading down there. But this blizzard came out of nowhere and I was caught in the middle of it."

"Yeah, it snuck up on me too..." Raven answered, pulling his cloak more tightly around him.

Celia sighed quietly. "Once it subsides I already know that half the village will be out looking for me..." she said quietly.

Raven blinked when he heard that. "...there's a village around here?" he asked, unsure if it was the same village he was looking for.

Celia nodded slightly. "It's out of the way and higher up the mountain, but it's a nice place to live," she replied.

"... last time I checked there weren't any villages around here on the map..." Raven mused, beginning to think that this just might be the village he had been seeking. If that was the case, then this woman's true nature was now in question.

"...a lot of people don't come this far up the mountain... My village has basically been all but forgotten or thought wiped out by the intense winters here."

Raven nodded slightly. "I can see why..." he muttered, motioning to the thick snow falling from the sky.

Celia nodded, "Yeah... There was a really bad one about fifty years ago that nearly did destroy the village... That was when we were forgotten about."

Raven nodded slightly. "I'd never be able to stand these sorts of winters over and over... I don't really care for snow all that much..." he grumbled, shaking his head to get rid of the snow clinging to his black hair.

Celia giggled at him when he said that. "I was born and raised here, so I'm used to it."

"My parent's house was at the top of a mountain, so we got lots of snow in winter, but not... this much..." Raven said, brushing the accumulated snow off of his sleeves.

Celia smiled slightly. "The winters here may be harsh, but the springs and summers are the best here. It's never too hot and there are a whole bunch of rare plants that grow around here.

Raven nodded. "Yeah, I sometimes come here when I need to get some herbs and whatnot when I get sick..."

"There's this one that grows only on the summit in the spring. We call it the Phoenix Plume, since its bright red and gold. It only blooms once per plant and it only grows for a few weeks... I'm the one that usually goes and collects it."

Raven blinked when he heard that. "What's so special about it? Besides it sounding like it's a beautiful plant..." he questioned.

"...It's...a special plant that my village needs to survive... We make it into a juice that we drink and it keeps us nourished, especially in the winters..."

Raven blinked. "...so, without that plant your village would die?"

Celia nodded slightly, "Pretty much... We make the juice in the spring and save it for these winters... It's very rare when a hunting party returns with enough food for all of us in the winter..."

Raven blinked. "... I've never heard of anything like that before..."

"It's extremely rare and extremely valuable. And I'm the only one that knows where it grows...just like my mother before me..."

Raven looked at her for a long minute. "Sounds like a lot of responsibility..."

Celia nodded slightly. "It is... And a lot of the village boys are trying to court me to get to the secret groves where all these plants grow... My family has all passed away, which means I'm the only one that knows where they are... I'm a 'Gatherer'; my whole family was 'Gatherers'."

Raven blinked when he heard that. "...what happened to your family?"

"...my two older brothers were killed while out gathering these rare flowers when I was ten... ...we never found them... ...my younger sister didn't make it through last year's winter... And my mother and father were killed as well the spring before last..."

Raven narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard that. "...killed...?"

The young woman nodded slightly. "...yeah... ...in both cases we suspect that it was the work of outsiders..."

Raven knew what that meant right off the bat. "... sorry to hear that..."

"...it's okay... It's not your fault..." she replied quietly.

Raven nodded slightly, before looking down at the fire. "...want some more tea?"

"Sure, I'd like some more," the dark violet haired girl replied lightly.

Raven took her cup from her and filled it up with hot tea, before handing it back to her. "Sorry if it's too sweet... I can't stand lemon tea without sugar... it's too bitter..."

Celia giggled slightly. "It's alright Raven. I like my tea very sweet," she replied.

Raven merely nodded before he poured himself some more hot tea and took a drink. Shadow lifted her head when she smelled the tea and poked her head over Raven's shoulder, watching his glass like a hawk. When he went to take a drink she tried to get a taste by attempting to stick her tongue in the glass. "Shadow! Cut it out!" he groaned, pushing the Organoid's head away. Celia giggled again at the two of them. She happily sipped on her tea. She had no idea that Raven suspected he knew what she was.

Raven took a few sips before Shadow started trying to get at his tea again. He eventually got fed up and poured another cup for the Organoid, sticking it in the snow so it wouldn't fall over. "There. Now keep to yourself," he mumbled, taking a drink of his own tea. Shadow wagged her tail and growled happily when she was given her own glass, leaning down and lapping up the sugar-laden hot drink happily.

Celia couldn't help but giggle at the two. They made an odd pair and they amused her. There really weren't any one like them in the village. Raven glanced over at her when he heard her giggling at him again. "...what's so funny?"

"Your interactions with your Organoid; they're entertaining to watch."

Raven blinked. "...uhh...thanks? I guess...?"

Celia smiled slightly. "It's just that no one back home acts like this... It's entertaining to watch."

Raven cocked his head slightly. "... what do you mean by that? Do people not have fun in your village?"

"It's not like that... It's just...everyone knows everyone else... We know each other's personalities like the back of our hands. It's just fun to watch someone who's not from the village is all."

Raven nodded slightly. "That makes sense..." he replied, before taking another drink of tea.

The two spent a good few hours in comfortable silence or talking quietly with each other. It was nearing ten or eleven at night now. "I think that I'm going to try and get some sleep. See you in the morning and hopefully the blizzard will have passed by then."

Raven nodded slightly. "You can use my sleeping bag and tent if you want. I'll just sleep with Shadow."

Celia shook her head 'no' slightly. "It's alright. I'll be fine out here," she replied.

"No, I insist. I'll be fine. Besides, if you don't stay warm you'll get sick," Raven argued.

Celia could see that she wouldn't be winning this battle. "Alright then, I guess I'll take you up on your offer."

Raven nodded. "... I'll make sure Shadow doesn't try to steal the sleeping bag from you in the middle of the night. Well, goodnight..."

"Goodnight Raven. Don't let the bedbugs bite," she said sweetly before entering the tent.

Raven merely nodded before he glanced over at Shadow. He was taken completely off guard by the Organoid's amused grin. "...shut up, Shadow..." he growled, throwing a snow ball at her face before he poured himself another glass of tea

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_**Author's Note:**_ I hoped you all enjoyed the first chapter! I know that it was a little slow, but we had to start somewhere. There's not much to say about this first chapter, but things will pick up! Reviews are most welcomed!


	2. Something Developing

_**Disclaimer 1:**__ I do NOT own Zoids._

_**Disclaimer 2:**__ The character Celia Teara belongs to me. Please do not use her without my permission._

_**Author's Note:**_ Hello everyone! I'm really sorry of the lack of updates recently. Stress on top of what's been going on in real life has just been draining me to the point where I didn't even want to update anything. I will try to get back into my routine, but don't be expecting as quick updates as before. Anyways, I hope that you all enjoy the next chapter to _Winter Bells_.

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**ξ **Something Developing **ξ**

The rest of the night passed on peacefully. The blizzard had subsided to moderately snowing. It was enough for the two of them to see where they were going now. Raven had fallen asleep against Shadow, who had wrapped him up in her wings to keep him warm. He didn't notice that the snowing had subsided somewhat, still in a deep sleep despite the cold.

Celia was the first to wake up. She stretched out slightly, before waking up fully. She went out of the tent and saw that Raven was still asleep. She then saw that the fire had gone out, and so started it back up again. Raven rolled over when he heard someone moving around, but didn't wake up. He was tired from trudging through the snow yesterday, and so he wanted some more sleep.

Celia let him sleep as she kept the fire going. She sat down beside it before digging into her pack that she had. She had some food with her, though it was just some bread and the Phoenix drink. Raven eventually woke up, rubbing his eyes before he pushed Shadow's wings off of him. He blinked when he saw Celia. "...morning?"

Celia looked over to Raven when she heard him speak. "Good morning Raven. Sleep well? ...As well as one could out in a blizzard anyways?"

Raven nodded. "I slept fine... I usually don't have a tent so it was just like every other time I'm out traveling..."

"...I'm sorry... I didn't mean to take your tent..."

Raven shook his head. "It's fine. I'm used to it..." he assured, stretching his arms out and yawning.

"You hungry?" she asked. "I don't have much, but I do have enough for the both of us."

Raven shook his head. "I'll be fine," he tried to assure.

Celia nodded slightly. "Alright then, if the weather holds up, I plan to continue down to get some of those White Bells... ...Would you like to come with me?"

Raven shrugged. "Don't see why not. I don't really have anything else to do..." he said, getting up and brushing the snow off of his cloak. "Let me get my stuff packed up and I'll send Shadow back to my Zoid with it first." Celia nodded, waiting for Raven to finish packing up. It would be nice to travel and gather with someone with her. This boy intrigued her and she wanted to learn more about him.

Raven got everything packed up within half an hour, and gave everything to Shadow. "Wait by the Geno Breaker unless I call you," he said, and Shadow nodded. The Organoid glanced between him and the woman for a moment before she growled quietly, and Raven's face turned bright red. "Shadow!" he gasped and the Organoid chuckled darkly before winging off in the direction of the waiting crimson Zoid.

Celia blinked when she saw that. "...What's wrong?" she asked, not being able to understand what the black Organoid had said.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Raven answered quickly, kicking snow onto the fire to put it out. "So, ready to go?"

Celia nodded and walked beside Raven as they left the safety of evergreen trees. They headed down the mountain, instead of up like Raven had wanted to do. Raven glanced around idly. "... these White Snow Bell flowers... you sure they can survive these temperatures?"

Celia nodded, "Yep. They bloom every winter. Further down the mountain is where a lot of them grow," she replied.

Raven nodded idly. "Alright then..." he said, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm. Because he had little feeling in his right hand he couldn't feel the cold, so he had to make sure he kept it warm or risk frostbite setting in without his knowledge.

Celia noticed this, "Are your hands cold? I have some mittens that you can use."

Raven shook his head no. "My gloves are fine, but thanks..."

"Alright then... We should reach the grotto they grow in in a couple of minutes," she replied.

Raven eventually glanced over at her. "…how come you don't try to trade with the other villages instead of relying on that plant?"

"...we sometimes send a few people to trade during the spring and summer, but we usually just like to keep to ourselves..." she replied.

"...why? It'd be so much easier if you were more open with the neighboring villages..." Raven pointed out, trying to get as much information as possible.

"Well...we don't have much to offer... Sure we have our plants and medicines...but that's about it... And we need those for our village to survive through the winters..."

Raven sighed loudly. "... good point..." he muttered, "... but there has to be some reason your village just keeps to itself... any other village would have died out if it did what your village is doing..."

"I guess that my village is pretty hardy... We haven't moved from that spot for a few centuries..."

Raven blinked. "...really? How many of you are there up there?"

Celia thought for a moment. "...Uhm...about one hundred, one hundred and ten..." she replied.

Raven blinked. "That's a lot of people for this kind of environment..." he mused, knowing there had to be some explanation for it, and he was starting to think he knew just what it was.

Celia shrugged slightly, "...I guess...we're just a reclusive kind of people..."

Raven nodded slightly. "I never liked people helping me either... I like to do things on my own..."

Celia nodded slightly before pointing out the grotto that held the White Bell flowers. "There it is... There should be an abundance of the flowers here."

Raven nodded slightly. "...want some help with them?" he asked, not wanting to just stand around.

"If you want to help then you can. I don't see why I should turn down the help if you're offering it," she replied leading him into the small grotto. "There they are," she said, pointing to the small bell shaped white flowers.

Raven spotted them and nodded. "How many do you need?" he asked, pulling out his switchblade and walking over to the flowers and cutting off a few.

"...oh...about three dozen... That should last me and my village for a good while," she replied, pulling out a small urn to place the flowers in. Raven nodded and began cutting the flowers, placing them in the urn Celia was holding. He made sure not to damage the plant itself, since he knew these plants were somewhat rare.

"Thanks for helping me Raven. You really didn't have to do this for me..."

Raven shook his head. "Anytime, Celia..." he replied, finishing gathering the remaining amount of flowers.

Celia smiled slightly. "Thanks Raven," she said sweetly, before placing the top on the urn and sealed it so then it wouldn't spill open. "...so...just what exactly are you going to do now? I've got what I came out here to get..."

Raven shrugged. "I don't know..." he answered, putting away his pocket knife.

"...I can't take you to my village, since outsiders aren't very welcomed... …but...there is a little cabin back up the way... It's a little further up, if you wanted to use it..."

Raven blinked when she offered that. "... you'd let me do that?"

The dark violet haired girl nodded slightly. "I don't see why not... I use it as a rest stop when I'm going back to the village..."

Raven nodded slightly. "...thank you, Celia... I'd really appreciate that..."

"It's not a problem. Come on, we if leave now, we should make it there sometime in the late afternoon. I have a feeling that another blizzard will start up soon."

Raven nodded again. "Lead the way... I don't know my way around and don't want to get lost..." he said, not wanting to go the wrong way and get lost.

Celia nodded slightly and led Raven out of the small grotto. They then started another hike back up the mountain, going to the cabin that Celia knew of. It was obvious to Raven that she couldn't tell what he was. Raven didn't know if that should worry him or make him happy, seeing as it'd be easier to surprise the village. They wouldn't know what hit them.

After an hour more of trudging through the snow, did the two of them finally come upon the cabin. "Wait just one sec Raven. I've got the key in here somewhere..." Celia said before digging into one of the pockets that was on her bag. Raven nodded and glanced around, trying to get his bearings. Shadow would be able to track him hear easily, and then maybe she could spot the village.

After a minute did Celia find the keys to the cabin and unlocked the door. She opened it and let herself in, before motioning for Raven to follow. "It's not much, but it'll keep us warm and away from the wind."

Raven nodded. "Anything's better than sleeping in the snow and wind..." he said, following her into the cabin after getting all the snow off of him first. "...it's nice in here..." he mused, shutting the door behind him and taking off his scarf.

"Yep, it use to belong to an older couple, but since my family use to come and visit them all the time, they gave us the spare key. I'm the only one in the village that knows about this little old place," Celia replied, putting her fur hood down before unfastening her cloak.

Raven nodded, taking off his heavy cloak. He was wearing his piloting gear and armor, which was warmer than his traveling garb. "It seems really peaceful out here. Do you come out here for peace and quiet?"

"Sometimes... The boys in the village are always... …well...always after me or trying to get in my good books... It's nice to be able to come out here and get away from that... I also come out here to sometimes make the healing salves... They're much more potent if they're still really fresh," she replied, hanging her fur cloak on one of the hooks near the door. She was wearing a simple sage green dress that stopped just after her knees, but Raven could tell that it was well insulated. There was dark furs trimming the neckline and the ends of the sleeves of the dress. She was also wearing dark brown leather boots that were also insulated. As Raven had suspected her dark violet hair was much longer than what he saw. It was nearly down to the back of her knees, but it didn't seem to bother her all that much. "You can sit where ever you like. I'll get a fire started and see if I have anything here to make some stew."

Raven nodded slightly, taking off his boots and armor so he'd be more comfortable. About five seconds later, as he suspected, Shadow started scratching at the door until he let her in. She shook herself and podded inside, nosing Raven before curling up in front of the still-dark fireplace. Celia giggled slightly. "Looks like you just couldn't stay away," she said before putting a few logs into the darkened fire place. She found some matches on the mantle before starting to get a nice sized fire going.

Shadow merely grunted tiredly before dozing off. Flying to and from the Breaker at top speed in this cold of weather was tiring. Raven meanwhile had taken a seat on the couch near the fireplace, also a little tired. Hiking around in thick snow at these temperatures wasn't a walk in the park. Celia got up once she was sure that the fire wouldn't go out. "I'm going to go and see if there's anything here to make a stew with. I'll be back shortly, so just make yourself at home."

Raven nodded slightly. "Alright Celia," he replied, lying down on the couch and stretching. He was exhausted, and could do with a quick nap. Celia busied herself in the kitchen. She looked through the cabinets and found that she had just enough to make a stew for the both of them. She smiled slightly, thinking that it was nice to be able to cook for more than just herself. Raven eventually dozed off on the couch, dead to the world. He hadn't slept well the night before, and wanted to catch up on it a little bit.

The dark violet haired girl threw together a stew before bringing the heavy looking pot into the living room. She put it on the fire and placed the lid on top of it. She looked over to Raven and smiled slightly. She left for a moment before returning with a quilt to cover him up with. Raven was still all but dead to the world, snoring quietly. Well, at least he didn't snore as loudly as most other people. He hadn't gotten much deep sleep recently, since when its negative five degrees outside you can't really get a decent rest.

Celia sat down at the edge of the couch, after moving Raven's feet, and pulled out a book to keep her occupied. She had brought out another quilt and had put that over her to keep warm. She may have liked the cold, but even she had her limits.

Raven didn't as much as twitch; he was so exhausted. Besides, half dragging the woman back to camp the night before hadn't exactly been a breeze in the severe blizzard. Celia let him sleep, knowing that he had to be tired. Eventually the whole cabin started to smell homely as the stew continued to bubble away. It wouldn't be done for another few hours, but it sure smelled good.

Shadow eventually lifted her head up and sniffed at the pot, shifting around so she could move a bit closer without getting up. It smelled good, like when Raven cooked, so she knew it was food of some sort. Celia looked up when she heard...Shadow...she believed was what Raven called her, sniffing at the pot of stew. "It's not ready yet Hun. Just give it another two hours, and I'll make sure you get a bowl." Shadow turned and gazed at her for a minute, looking her over. She growled quietly before curling back up, trying to get a quick nap like her master was.

The two hours passed soon enough and Celia had to get up to tend to their supper. She moved Raven's feet from off of her before getting up and going over to the fire. She donned some oven mittens on to get the pot out of the fire. Raven didn't notice, still in a deep sleep. Shadow lifted her head when she sensed the woman moving closer to her, but didn't growl or do anything aggressive.

Once Celia had a good hold of the pot of stew did she test it, making sure that it was completely done. Satisfied that it was, did she get up and go over to the couch were Raven was sleeping. She shook his shoulder gently, "Come on Raven... It's time to get up now..."

Raven whined sleepily. "...but m'tired..." he mumbled, having gotten little sleep the last few days.

Celia giggled at him again. "Come on Raven, I've got some supper ready."

Raven opened his eyes slightly, rubbing them tiredly with his gloved hands. "...oh...really?"

Celia nodded slightly. "That's right. Come on now, you wouldn't make me eat alone now would you?"

Raven sighed quietly and sat up, still rubbing his eyes. "...what time s'it?"

Celia looked over to the clock that was on the opposite wall. "It's just a little after six," she replied.

Raven nodded slightly. "What'd you make again? 'Cause whatever it is, it smells good..."

"I made some stew. Luckily I had enough things here to make it," she replied. "And thanks... I haven't really been able to share my cooking with anyone since my little sister died..."

Raven blinked. "... sorry..." he said quietly.

"It's okay... I'm just glad that I have someone to share a meal with, at least for a little while."

Raven nodded slightly. "...thanks?" he replied, unsure of what to say in such a situation.

Celia smiled slightly, "It's okay Raven... I know that you can't stay in these frozen lands forever... It's just nice to be able to enjoy another's company."

Raven smiled back a bit, before glancing out the window. "...looks like there's another storm blowing in..."

Celia nodded slightly, "Looks like you'll be staying here for just a little while longer," she jested lightly before getting up. She went to the kitchen and retrieved three bowls and a ladle before returning. Raven chuckled slightly, before she caught Shadow's overly amused expression. He blushed and glared at her slightly, throwing the pillow he had been using at her, though it just bounced off her face, making her chuckle at him loudly.

Celia watched, not really understanding just what was happening. She had an idea, but she wasn't going to hold her breath. She just giggled at them before ladling some stew into the three bowls, handing one to Raven, as well as a spoon, before getting one ready for Shadow and herself. "Thanks," Raven said, taking the bowl from her. He was starving, so he started eating immediately. He was quiet as he ate, though that was normal. Shadow started eating the moment Celia set the bowl down; even though she had no reason to eat, it didn't mean she didn't want too.

Celia ate quietly, the warm stew helping to keep her warmed up. "How is it?" she asked after a minute.

"Really good," Raven answered, finishing up a few minutes later. Shadow whined at him until he gave her the bowl to lick clean, which she did in about five seconds flat.

Celia giggled when she saw that, "I'm glad that you like it," she said quietly. It was nice hearing something like that. Raven nodded, getting up once the Organoid was finished with both bowls. He took them into the kitchen and set them in the sink, before walking back out.

Celia finished a little bit later. There was still some left over so a second helping couldn't hurt. She never noticed that Raven took an interest in that, since a lot of the girls that he knew would never be able to eat two servings of such a hearty stew. Raven watched her for a moment before glancing out the window. He was starting to think more and more that Celia wasn't what she seemed, and that she was something much more dangerous. The dark violet haired girl finished up her second helping before getting up and taking her dish to the kitchen. Raven could hear the water running as she washed the dirty bowls up.

Raven glanced over in the direction of the kitchen before he once again looked out the window. He was starting to get a little worried thinking about just what the woman was. Celia returned to the living room a few minutes later, drying her hands on a dish towel. She seemed to be able to pick up on Raven's nervous vibe. "...Is something wrong Raven?" she asked.

Raven glanced up at her and shook his head no. "I'm fine... just a bit worried about the weather is all..."

Celia blinked, "...why...? We're safe from the weather in here... Unless...you were thinking about leaving..."

Raven shook his head. "I'm talking about when I eventually have to leave. It'll be a long hike down to my Zoid if the snow gets much higher..."

The violet haired girl nodded slightly. "I think it's supposed to be sunny tomorrow... It's probably the best time to go back to your...Zoid..."

Raven nodded slightly before he stopped, catching her slight pause. "...something wrong with Zoids?"

Celia shook her head 'no' slightly. "No... It's just we don't get too many that venture too far up the mountain..."

Raven nodded. "I can see why..." he joked slightly, pointing to the snowy landscape outside. Zoids had never been good with cold.

Celia smiled slightly, agreeing with Raven. "It's more in the spring and summer that we see the flying ones going over the mountains."

"Sounds likely... there's a trade route not too far away..." Raven said, before lying back down on the couch. The girl nodded slightly. It would be sad to see the raven-haired boy leave... But...she knew that he had too... Raven eventually started to doze off, more than exhausted despite having had a good nap earlier. He'd need a while to regain his energy before he went anywhere.

"There's a spare bed down the hall if you want to use that. I highly doubt that the couch is a comfortable place to sleep.

"You'll have a room though, right?" Raven asked, wanting to be sure.

Celia nodded. "There are two rooms in the place, so I'll be fine, don't worry."

Raven nodded. "I'll probably go lie down in a little bit..." he said, not wanting to leave the warm couch in front of the fire for a cold bedroom just yet.

Celia nodded slightly before sitting back down in the spot that she had been in before. She picked her book back up and Raven could see the runes and symbols on. It defiantly wasn't written in the human OR Zoidian speech.

Raven blinked when he saw that. He recognized those runes anywhere. His suspicions had been correct. He didn't immediately react, not wanting to get attacked. "...what kind of language is that?"

Celia looked over to Raven before looking back at her book. "It's an old, forgotten language... My people can still read and speak it though, since we haven't interacted much with the outside world."

Raven nodded slightly. "...does it have a name?"

The dark violet haired girl shook her head 'no' slightly. "Not that I'm aware of. We just call it our language..."

Raven just nodded. "...alright..." he answered, before getting comfortable again. Celia continued on in her book, not finding it strange that Raven would ask about her book. She knew that not too many people would know of it, so then she expected some questions. Raven eventually dozed off, even though he knew there was a vampire sitting next to him. He was too tired to deal with it at the moment.

Celia let him rest. She didn't even look his way, which was odd for a vampiress if she was going to attack or do something to Raven. She may have been a vampiress, but she certainly didn't want to hurt Raven. Raven was still sleeping, unaware of what the vampiress was doing. Had he been awake he would have been much more alert, but he was too tired now.

The violet haired vampiress read for another three hours before looking at the clock to see it was nearing ten. She sighed quietly, figuring that it'd be best if she and Raven headed to bed. She got up and shook his shoulder gently. "Come on Raven, it's time for you to get to bed, on something more comfortable than a couch."

Raven groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "...alright..." he muttered tiredly, getting up and heading to the bedroom with Shadow close behind. "... night Celia..." he said before he closed the door to change into the nightclothes he had had in the small pack he had carried around.

Celia said her good nights as well before going into the slightly larger master bedroom. The bed was a queen size so she had plenty of room, unlike Raven who had to share his bed with Shadow. Raven quickly changed into his night clothes before lying down to try and sleep. He fought with Shadow for the first hour before giving up and letting the Organoid take up most of the bed, with him having to sleep on the very edge. It wasn't exactly comfortable but it was good enough. It was better than the cold hard ground, so he wasn't complaining.

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_**Author's Note:**_ I hope you all enjoyed reading this! I know it's a bit slow, but next chapter things pick up a bit. I can't promise that I'll have things updated next week, but I'll do my best to get the next one up soon. Happy Reading! Please Review! They make my day!


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